This was supposed to be the day Australia's pace attack bared its teeth. Freed from the claustrophobia of the indoor nets by an unlikely break in the Durham weather, they were to be unleashed on England. Four quicks had been selected, the ineffectual Xavier Doherty dropped and the enigmatic Mitchell Johnson left out. In damp air, and on a seaming, tacky pitch, Ben Hilfenhaus, James Pattinson, Brett Lee and Clint McKay were resolved, as Hilfenhaus put it, to "show England what we're made of".

Not for the first time on this tour, Australia's lofty expectations were to prove completely out of step with the prevailing reality. Given only 200 runs to defend by batsmen who admittedly had to cope with much the worst of the conditions, the touring bowlers were swatted away by Ian Bell, Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott without anything like the sort of discomfort anticipated. Their ineffectiveness was to be compounded by a pair of ruinous injuries to Shane Watson and Brett Lee, the latter perhaps walking from the field in England for the very last time.

That Australia's bowlers should struggle to get past England's Test match proven top three was not in itself a surprise - the hosts had lost only eight wickets across the first two matches before Edgbaston's wash-out. But the fact that on a seaming pitch the visitors could not even manage to claim one early wicket, let alone pressure England for any length of the chase, added another disheartening chapter to the book that may be written on why the team coached by Andy Flower remains well in advance of Australia's. For those citing the injuries as a possible excuse, it can be countered that the match was slipping away well before Watson and Lee hobbled off.

Of the touring bowlers, only David Saker's former student McKay has offered a consistent, nagging threat to England on this trip. Fractionally too short at Lord's, he has improved with each match, and here returned a meritorious 2 for 29. The rest, however, have struggled to put the ball where they need to in the manner of their English counterparts, whether they be experienced or callow.

The example for the rest was thought likely to come from Lee, but by the time he left the field at Durham it was possible to ponder how capable he is of providing it. Lee's calf complaint is the probable end to his tour, but it had already been a frustrating one, for the precision he showed against Ireland in Belfast had not been matched against England. Lee was unable to nail his yorkers at a pivotal time at Lord's, allowing Eoin Morgan to wriggle the total beyond 250 where for most of the innings 230 was the favourite. The Oval came and went with a similar lack of threat at the required times.

Pattinson has now been introduced to a sensation that has become all too familiar among Australian cricketers: that of defeat against England.

At Chester-le-Street, Lee followed up a shortish maiden in his first over by conceding 12 from his second, either dropping short or drifting wide to force his removal from the attack. A return spell lasted only two balls before Lee was unable to bowl, and he remains short of Glenn McGrath's Australian ODI wickets record. The question for the national selector John Inverarity is how much longer Lee, at 35, can be permitted to pursue it.

Lee had been preceded on his unhappy path to the treatment room by Watson, another who has not met expectations with the ball. One wicket in three games at a cost of 6.11 runs per over left Watson looking very much the fifth bowler on Australia's team sheet, when for so long his medium paced swing and seam has been arguably the ODI team's most versatile asset. Watson has been unable to contain or take wickets, leaving Clarke less able to call on him in the Powerplay overs or at the death of an innings, as he had done frequently during the Australian summer. After a lengthy period in which he became admirably robust, injuries have begun to creep back into Watson's story, a fact arguably more disquieting than the runs he has conceded in these games.

Hilfenhaus had conveyed his urgent desire to play in the lead-up to this match, but, as against Ireland, his ODI bowling was to prove curiously muted next to the shrewd and strong displays he had offered against India and the West Indies during the Test matches that preceded it. While a better bowler than he had shown against England during the last Ashes series in Australia, Hilfenhaus was not as much of a challenge for Bell, Cook and Trott as he should have been on this surface. By his own admission Hilfenhaus remains a student of the one-day game rather than its master, but he will have to bowl more incisively than this on the Ashes tour next year.

All this left Pattinson with a considerable weight on his shoulders in his first match against England. His first over was bedevilled by an introductory no-ball, and was studded with a pair of Ian Bell boundaries. Pattinson improved in subsequent spells, bowling as well to Cook as his fellow young firebrand Pat Cummins had done at Lord's. On another day he might have had a wicket or two, and can be said to have bowled better than his figures showed. But he has now been introduced to a sensation that has become all too familiar among Australian cricketers: that of defeat against England.

Between the rain, the defeats and the injuries, this has been a most unsatisfactory visit for Clarke's tourists, and a most sobering one. While the shortcomings of the batsmen are widely known, the selected bowlers have been left in little doubt that they have plenty of work to do also. Sharper teeth will need to be found in time for next year, otherwise the same story will be related.

The selection of bowlers are not impressive as they have selected test bowlers.
The ODI bowlers should have been:
C. McKay, R. Harris, M. Starc, P. Cummins, B. Lee, M. Johnson

Always play C. McKay, R. Harris, M. Starc as first choice in ODI and use P. Cummins as fourth seamer if necessary

JG2704
on July 9, 2012, 8:42 GMT

@johnnycash on (July 09 2012, 05:09 AM GMT) Not sure about that. If the pitch was known to be a spinner I'd have thought Eng would have selected a specialist spinner and maybe brought in Patel instead of Bres.

Aussie_nrz
on July 9, 2012, 6:12 GMT

Bowlers selected should have been different while selection of squad.
They should have preferred with ODI specialists like McKay, R. Harris, M. Starc, P. Cummins, B. Lee, M. Johnson.
They should have played McKay, R. Harris, M. Starc regularly and could have used Lee as fourth seamer if necessary.

johnnycash
on July 9, 2012, 5:09 GMT

Maybe the Poms can tell me, the pitch thay played on for ODI No.4, has that traditionally taken spin? It looked to turn a fair way for Hussey and Clarke. Maybe Doherty was left out at precisely the wrong moment. I did notice the english batsman having a bit of trouble with the turn. Something I'm sure Nathan Lyon was watching.

Meety
on July 9, 2012, 2:46 GMT

@@ Adoh "I am trying hard to not believe it, but it really does look like our bowlers have the intellectual attention span and memory of an 8 year old with ADD, overdosed on red cordial in a PS2 shop." almost soiled myself over that one. Very descriptive, maybe even apt!
@Plz_Dont_Get_Whitewashed - no way, very good but!

Meety
on July 9, 2012, 2:38 GMT

@MattyP1979 "...which is it?" - you can't define players as either rubbish or brilliant. You can define comments that way though!
@Robert Allen - exactly why players should keep some comments to themselves, however on the other side of the coin, it would be boring if players didn't have an opinion. Watto said what he said, I wish he didn't.
@hhillbumper - you started off so well, you cannot compare the current WI side in away v home context. The WIndies are a hell of a lot better in their home patch. The only straight line comparison between Oz & England other than this mini tour is what happenned in SL. Oz won the series, 1nil, - had the upper hand in the other 2 tests, England on the other hand DREW. Does that mean England are inferior to Oz - nope. Look at what the WI are doing to NZ atm in the WIndies.
@Okakaboka - I am happy Siddle is not touring, hopefully he is doing laps around the paddock & fine tuning his run up, better for him than playing ODIs or T20s.

landl47
on July 9, 2012, 0:40 GMT

Just in case anyone missed this........ Posted by RandyOZ on (July 08 2012, 05:01 AM GMT)
Unlucky with the weather and injuries.

JimDavis
on July 8, 2012, 18:22 GMT

"Fractionally too short at Lord's, he has improved with each match" There in lies the answer - all the talk about bringing player over to experience the conditions for the first time and the don't pick Pattinson until the 4th match. We won't win anything substantial with the stupidity of the current coach.

ozwriter
on July 8, 2012, 15:51 GMT

easy solution. 2 players in the uk. starc in for lee. khawaja in for watson.

landl47
on July 8, 2012, 13:08 GMT

Let's pretend for a moment that Paul McAllister's comment were to be worthy of consideration. How many SA-born England players would get in the SA XI? Well, SA are short an opener to play alongside Smith, so Strauss would. Trott and KP bat 3 and 4 for England. They're about on a level with Amla and ABD, but below Kallis. Can't see either of them at 6. Move ABD down? Maybe, but any way you slice it, one doesn't get in and someome is mightily upset. Prior replaces Boucher. Do Dernbach or Meaker get in? You must be joking; they're not close to the England test side and wouldn't replace the SA seamers. Lumb is a journeyman, age 32, who has played 8 T20Is and won't play any more and Kies is another W/K. So 3 England SA-born players make the side, two of whom are the players whose families came to England before they were teenagers. When you break it down, it probably means KP was the only legitimate loss for SA. One player. Oh, and SA still has no SA-born spinner. How's Tahir doing?

Aussie_nrz
on July 9, 2012, 9:23 GMT

The selection of bowlers are not impressive as they have selected test bowlers.
The ODI bowlers should have been:
C. McKay, R. Harris, M. Starc, P. Cummins, B. Lee, M. Johnson

Always play C. McKay, R. Harris, M. Starc as first choice in ODI and use P. Cummins as fourth seamer if necessary

JG2704
on July 9, 2012, 8:42 GMT

@johnnycash on (July 09 2012, 05:09 AM GMT) Not sure about that. If the pitch was known to be a spinner I'd have thought Eng would have selected a specialist spinner and maybe brought in Patel instead of Bres.

Aussie_nrz
on July 9, 2012, 6:12 GMT

Bowlers selected should have been different while selection of squad.
They should have preferred with ODI specialists like McKay, R. Harris, M. Starc, P. Cummins, B. Lee, M. Johnson.
They should have played McKay, R. Harris, M. Starc regularly and could have used Lee as fourth seamer if necessary.

johnnycash
on July 9, 2012, 5:09 GMT

Maybe the Poms can tell me, the pitch thay played on for ODI No.4, has that traditionally taken spin? It looked to turn a fair way for Hussey and Clarke. Maybe Doherty was left out at precisely the wrong moment. I did notice the english batsman having a bit of trouble with the turn. Something I'm sure Nathan Lyon was watching.

Meety
on July 9, 2012, 2:46 GMT

@@ Adoh "I am trying hard to not believe it, but it really does look like our bowlers have the intellectual attention span and memory of an 8 year old with ADD, overdosed on red cordial in a PS2 shop." almost soiled myself over that one. Very descriptive, maybe even apt!
@Plz_Dont_Get_Whitewashed - no way, very good but!

Meety
on July 9, 2012, 2:38 GMT

@MattyP1979 "...which is it?" - you can't define players as either rubbish or brilliant. You can define comments that way though!
@Robert Allen - exactly why players should keep some comments to themselves, however on the other side of the coin, it would be boring if players didn't have an opinion. Watto said what he said, I wish he didn't.
@hhillbumper - you started off so well, you cannot compare the current WI side in away v home context. The WIndies are a hell of a lot better in their home patch. The only straight line comparison between Oz & England other than this mini tour is what happenned in SL. Oz won the series, 1nil, - had the upper hand in the other 2 tests, England on the other hand DREW. Does that mean England are inferior to Oz - nope. Look at what the WI are doing to NZ atm in the WIndies.
@Okakaboka - I am happy Siddle is not touring, hopefully he is doing laps around the paddock & fine tuning his run up, better for him than playing ODIs or T20s.

landl47
on July 9, 2012, 0:40 GMT

Just in case anyone missed this........ Posted by RandyOZ on (July 08 2012, 05:01 AM GMT)
Unlucky with the weather and injuries.

JimDavis
on July 8, 2012, 18:22 GMT

"Fractionally too short at Lord's, he has improved with each match" There in lies the answer - all the talk about bringing player over to experience the conditions for the first time and the don't pick Pattinson until the 4th match. We won't win anything substantial with the stupidity of the current coach.

ozwriter
on July 8, 2012, 15:51 GMT

easy solution. 2 players in the uk. starc in for lee. khawaja in for watson.

landl47
on July 8, 2012, 13:08 GMT

Let's pretend for a moment that Paul McAllister's comment were to be worthy of consideration. How many SA-born England players would get in the SA XI? Well, SA are short an opener to play alongside Smith, so Strauss would. Trott and KP bat 3 and 4 for England. They're about on a level with Amla and ABD, but below Kallis. Can't see either of them at 6. Move ABD down? Maybe, but any way you slice it, one doesn't get in and someome is mightily upset. Prior replaces Boucher. Do Dernbach or Meaker get in? You must be joking; they're not close to the England test side and wouldn't replace the SA seamers. Lumb is a journeyman, age 32, who has played 8 T20Is and won't play any more and Kies is another W/K. So 3 England SA-born players make the side, two of whom are the players whose families came to England before they were teenagers. When you break it down, it probably means KP was the only legitimate loss for SA. One player. Oh, and SA still has no SA-born spinner. How's Tahir doing?

Plz_Dont_Get_Whitewashed
on July 8, 2012, 11:55 GMT

Is this England team the next "INVINCIBLES" ?!?! - From a shell-shocked Indian Fan :-O

caughtatcover
on July 8, 2012, 11:50 GMT

The aussie bowling line up currently is much stronger than its batting counterpart. The batting unit is like a house of cards that has the tendency to disintegrate at the drop of the hat. Until now, their bowling made them competitive. However, last night bowling effort looked way under par and lacked any imagination. The aussies would have to bounce back from this as this was not good enough on a conducing wicket. Doherty was so far the weak link but they were exposed pretty well even without him. Time for the guys to look at themselves and put up an inproved show in the dead rubber even if for nothing else but aussie pride.

RoJayao
on July 8, 2012, 9:29 GMT

Quite a few long bows drawn from a small handful of ODI's, I'm not too sure what else was expected for a side coming off a layoff playing a match hardened and in form home side. If ODI's actually meant something and mattered, what conclusions did we make from Australia smashing England in the series following the last two Ashes series?? It is what it is, nothing more. One thing you can say however, England's batsmen, in form, can kill any attack. Good luck SA, you may need it!

on July 8, 2012, 6:35 GMT

i think siddle, starc,nile should be called up...with opening, one down ,spinner and fast bowler problems i think no team can manage in england

Adoh
on July 8, 2012, 6:09 GMT

Australia is playing poorly, no doubt. England has played well, no doubt. Do the Australian bowlers really need to be reminded after every ball to bowl full? I noticed when McDermott was coach he was hanging around the boundary speaking to the bowlers constantly. Is this what he was telling them? I am trying hard to not believe it, but it really does look like our bowlers have the intellectual attention span and memory of an 8 year old with ADD, overdosed on red cordial in a PS2 shop.
Quite a few interviews with the Australian players have yielded rhetoric like 'our goal is to improve every game we play'. Well, how about some accountability. As far as I can tell, Australia have got worse with every game they've played this series. So, what's the next objective? Get through a series without a whitewash? How about focussing on winning - it may not be politically correct, it may not be in the media manual, but that's the name of the game is it not? End of rant.

ozwriter
on July 8, 2012, 5:56 GMT

aussie fan. and yep this england team is far superior to our side. far far superior. in some ways, it is the wake up call our cricket team and fans needed. maybe sack mickey mouse arthur? or at least his selection policy. alas all blacks losing tri-nations in 2011 only to hold aloft the world cup after 22 years.

on July 8, 2012, 5:32 GMT

Both Pattinson and Cummins (before he was injured) looked a good 8 to10 miles per hour slower than their usual speeds they reach in Australia. Hilfenhaus was supposed to have gained speed - but he was bowling here even slower than when he was massacred in the Ashes. Is this all some part of some cunning plan by CA? I would love to believe it, but sadly pre/post review CA is run by the same stooges (the discredited Sutherland and co) and we are seeing not only the same old same old, but it can be said we are sinking even further into the abyss. I am not that much of a pessimist that I cannot forsee that Cummins Pattinson and Starc will get better and better, that Lyon is the best spinner we have had in a while and that Matty Wade is a combative wicket keeper batsman that will have a long career, but where are the batsmen? Would have much preferred that the likes of Nic Maddinson were given a gig here with an eye on the future rather than Bailey and Hussey, neither of whom who have one.

kh1902
on July 8, 2012, 5:09 GMT

The Australians were quick to talk themselves up based on strong performances against weak opponents. The real test will come later this year when the South Africans arrive. I suspect Australia's batting line-up will have a few problems then, although I think the bowlers will do much better.

These results also show that a captain is only as good as his team. Under Clarke's captaincy, Australia have only excelled against much lesser teams like India and the West Indies, while hobbling to a draw against a team like NZ. Clarke's speech about not wanting to play into his late 30's shows that he's all too aware of what's around the corner. South Africa at home, India away and two Ashes series, might diminish Clarke's reputation as a captain.

Riderstorm
on July 8, 2012, 5:08 GMT

The team on the field were doing their best considering their confidence levels. But, the point I would like to bring up is the omission of players like callum ferguson, who in the mould of hussey and bevan had the capabilities to hold together an innings. All that he needed was a long stretch of rope to prove himself.

RandyOZ
on July 8, 2012, 5:01 GMT

Unlucky with the weather and injuries. I'd like to see Nathan Coulter-Nile get a go in this format.

Aspraso
on July 8, 2012, 3:41 GMT

I guess Warner should be dropped for continuing to be "lazy" -- Not sure if Wade still day-dreams about "cementing" his spot on either side of the wircket.

Carpathian
on July 8, 2012, 3:34 GMT

@Paul Macallister. Strauss and Prior are hardly likely to have been South Africa-capped cricketers, having played all of their cricket in England and being born to English parents. The English cricket selectors pick the best team from eligible cricketers playing in England, same as the Australian rugby union selectors do and yet Aussies have no qualms with that side being bolstered by New Zealanders, South Africans, Fijians, Samoan etc. Likewise the Australian football was dominated by European-raised players in the '70s, '80s and '90s. England has been a premier destination for migrants from former colonies since the 1950s, leading to multicultural representation in national sporting teams.

Okakaboka
on July 8, 2012, 2:40 GMT

@Rabbito...I agree...Siddle is far and away Australia's best bowler. The attack without him looks lame. He seems to be able to inject fire and enthusiasm into the younger bowlers. Both Pattinson and Cummings bowl better when Siddle is present...he just adds that bit of mongrel the attack needs.....but then again....that would not be a good ODI attack...it is a test attack.

on July 8, 2012, 2:39 GMT

A test pace attack of Cummins, Patto, Sids/Rhino/Hilfy/Starc/Johnson is probably the best going around. Meaningless ODIs prove nothing. I think Patto and Cummins have the abilities to be two of the greats.

Lmaotsetung
on July 8, 2012, 2:04 GMT

I guess there are always those 3rd rate IPL stars that KP mentioned that the Aussie can fall back on if nothing works.

sheerluck
on July 8, 2012, 0:34 GMT

@Paul Mcallister on (July 07 2012, 20:52 PM GMT). It's always quite funny how often that old "England without the Saffas" line gets Trotted out (pun limp, but intended). Note that none of the names mentioned were in the team that won this match.

on July 7, 2012, 23:37 GMT

It seems that England is simply getting better and better with a more settled team, but the Pietersen factor looms large -- take out the superstar (even of his own accord) and the team often does even better. The quality of the coaching staff (Saker, the sometimes unsung Halsall, Gooch, and of course Flower) is a huge factor. Not to be forgotten is the selection committee -- remember how under David Graveney, England were consistently inconsistent. Now they continue to get stronger. What is Australia doing to sort out their backroom? Until they can do that we are going to see inconsistency. The bowling, apart from McKay, looks underdone. The batting -- what happened to guys like Callum Ferguson, why not give Michael Klinger a look? P.S. Hope Brett Lee gets better quickly -- it would be a shame to see the last of a fellow like him, who sets a fine example by playing hard but fair, always with a smile on his face.

Number_5
on July 7, 2012, 23:17 GMT

Well done Eng. Clearly the better squad. Aus success against a self centred, IPL focused India(lambasted by even their own fans and greats) last summer only masked our deficiencies. Its hard to understand what the selectors are doing. Leaving players well into their 30s in the squad, cancelling contracts on up and coming players and touring End at the end of their summer with a team that is neither here nor there in terms of development or experience just leaves the fans scratching their heads. After a full 4 year cycle of tests / odis (how hard can this be to organise ICC??) i think you will see Aus ranked 4th-6th on this form. CA has delivered what will become a generation of Australian crickets inept at the basic skills of the game at the top level.

JG2704
on July 7, 2012, 23:15 GMT

Hope both guys recover. I've always liked Brett Lee so like 5W hope he doesn't go out like that

JG2704
on July 7, 2012, 23:12 GMT

@Paul Mcallister on (July 07 2012, 20:52 PM GMT) You really are straw clutching there mentioning Lumb's name. When did he last play for Eng?

landl47
on July 7, 2012, 22:36 GMT

If before this series anyone had suggested that Australia's bowlers would only take 10 wickets in 3 games (Bopara was run out in the 2nd ODI) at a cost of 65 runs apiece, everyone, including me, would have laughed. Australia picked 6 seamers and they promised to have the England batsmen hopping about. Instead, it has been almost embarrassingly easy for England. The only bowler to have been troublesome has been the lightly regarded (he didn't get a central contract) McKay. Cummins was injured early, so perhaps it's unfair to judge him, but he didn't accomplish anything. Pattinson looked ordinary; nice seam position, but not very fast and didn't do much with the ball. Hilf and Johnson are still the same bowlers England took apart in the last two Ashes series. Lee looked his age and Watson was going for 6 an over before he broke down. For lovers of fast bowling, there was one really good young quick on show. His name was Steve Finn.

5wombats
on July 7, 2012, 22:13 GMT

@KURUWITA - we have tried to reply to you but not been published. We LOVE your posts and fondly remember your "Cook cooking the Kangaroos" comments from The Ashes 2010/11. They were suitably roasted. Hope this short ODI series also makes it's way into your "Cook" Book! Keep posting mate! :-)

LALITHKURUWITA
on July 7, 2012, 21:54 GMT

All batsmen and bowlers get opportunity for practise in this this series for Australia. All 11 batsmen bat and 8 bowled in the 4th ODI. ENG players are very unlucky and in danger as they do not get practice.

LALITHKURUWITA
on July 7, 2012, 21:43 GMT

@5wombats I do agree with u. For last few year Aussies kept their bowlers back at home. Even Aussie do not play their best players in home series. My only question is when Aussies are going to play their best team.

Rabbito
on July 7, 2012, 21:15 GMT

Where is Sidds?????...hes the best aussies got

on July 7, 2012, 20:52 GMT

England wouldn't be anywhere near the number 1 team without their 8 Saffers (across all formats of the game). namely Strauss, Prior, Pietersen (man of the tournament - last world 20/20), Trott, Kieswetter (man of the match - last world 20/20 final), Durnbach, Meaker and Lumb. imagine the team South Africa would have if all the above had stayed in their homeland. would probably be the greatest team the world has ever seen.

MattyP1979
on July 7, 2012, 20:33 GMT

Without Lee/Watto Aus are a poor side no doubt about it. Eng have not been at their best either which is a slight concern. The last game of this series will be a nothing affair as I expect Eng to 'rest' a few players and with Aus now understrength I really don't care about the result either way. SA looms and a great test series it should be but we could do with some fine tuning.

5wombats
on July 7, 2012, 20:28 GMT

@jmc. Nice post. We would be devastated to see Brett Lee finish like that. Sincerely hope he comes back. As for Watson - he may be a nice guy off the field - but we remember him in his early days. His railway station was Chirrup Central on the Sledge Line. Got no time for him: don't rate him. As for the other Aus bowlers - weren't they supposed to blow England away? Not too much sign of that today on a friendly pitch. Anyway - there shouldn't be too many alarms for Australia; they will know that they have kept their best players back in Australia in readiness for next year. Smart move..... Please publish.

whatawicket
on July 7, 2012, 20:21 GMT

watsons done ok with injures over the last 18 month. but he looks as if he could be an footie player but his body just cannot stand up to the rigors of bowling. bit of a chocolate fire guard. but he is massive in this aussie side without him on boy will they suffer.

hhillbumper
on July 7, 2012, 19:41 GMT

It is only one day cricket and Aus did come in their off season but really these bowlers are the best you have? They can get better but beating up a poor India does not make you world class.WE took the Windies apart and Aus barely managed to win the service. Unless things change it looks like the Ashes is staying home once more.Maybe we should play Bangladesh more often as at least they put up a fight

on July 7, 2012, 19:28 GMT

Before the series, Watson was publicly commenting on the England batting line up with Bresnan being too high in the order. Sadly for him and the Aussies, England could have sent all our bowlers home after we'd bat as the Aussies haven't come close to bowling us out!

Their much vaunted bowling attack has not lived up to the billing. We've seen Brett Lee show that he still gives 100% every game, but frankly has only contributed with the bat. Johnson is still there as comic turn for the English crowd as in Doherty, especially his fielding today.

Mckay looks a real find though and both Pattinson and Cummins have shown some promise, though still very raw. Even though the Aussies are out of season, the no 1 side in the world should be running us closer than this

Front-Foot-Lunge
on July 7, 2012, 19:27 GMT

Australian fans know how good England's pace attack is. Australian fans know how much better England's is to their own. They remember the Ashes vividly. But they had hoped that at least one of their old hands, Hilfenhaus or Lee would step up to the plate when the time came. Sadly it wasn't to be. There is, it must be admitted, a gulf in class, skill, fitness and ability between the England and Australia

R_U_4_REAL_NICK
on July 7, 2012, 19:21 GMT

All bark and no bite if you ask me... Fast + straight with no accuracy or consistency = very poor bowling. Fast + 'movement' (especially late) with accuracy and consistency = perfect, lethal bowling.

DamieninFrance
on July 7, 2012, 19:09 GMT

At some point, Aussie supporters are going to have to simply grit their teeth and admit that this English side is very good. It does not matter whether the Australian side is weak/rebuilding/in transition; the fact remains that the current Australian side does not deserve the number one ranking in ODIs, and they are a long way off England and South Africa. Even as an Aussie supporter, I can't wait to see the Saffas' tour of England, and it's a damn shame that we had to wedge in a pointless one-day series that reduced the drama of a longer SAfr v England contest. Good luck Saffas, but I think England's going to be too good.

MattyP1979
on July 7, 2012, 19:08 GMT

Eng were terrible at rushing youngsters into the highest format. Players like Anderson/Flintoff/Broad were all exposed too soon IMHO. Finn will get his chance sooner than later, but we have matured him at a better pace. Patterson/Cummins were elivated as greats before bowling a ball in anger. I hope they are not rushed into the test arena too soon (though they have potential). Like Narine of WI either these bowlers are rubbish or Eng are just too good Cricinfo posters you cannot have it both ways, which is it?

Chris_w78
on July 7, 2012, 18:36 GMT

As an Englishman I've quite enjoyed watching this 'great' Ozzie bowling attack be as toothless as I expected, but it has to be said the fact that it is short tour in the middle of the Oz off season means that the Oz are not at peak sharpness. But it has to be said this is has been an utter massacre by England. Maybe just maybe some people may just give England some credit. Finn is the best young bowler in the world, in the best attack in any conditions, in any form in the world. Bring on a real challenge with the Saffers.

jmcilhinney
on July 7, 2012, 18:32 GMT

I sincerely hope that the injuries to Watson and Lee don't turn out to be serious. Shane Watson strikes me as quite a nice person and, with all the injuries he's had, I really feel that he deserves to be able to enjoy a longer uninterrupted period of play. As for Brett Lee, he has been a very good servant for the Australian team and it would be a real shame if he was not able to finish his career on his terms. He may well be looking at the upcoming Champion's Trophy as his swansong, although Australia will have to improve markedly for it to be the send-off he'd want. If Lee and Watson can't play the last game of this series, I wonder whether Australia would draft Mitchell Starc into the squad. Probably only if Johnson is also not able to play I guess. Maybe Johnson in for Lee and Smith in for Watson with Wade opening.

No featured comments at the moment.

jmcilhinney
on July 7, 2012, 18:32 GMT

I sincerely hope that the injuries to Watson and Lee don't turn out to be serious. Shane Watson strikes me as quite a nice person and, with all the injuries he's had, I really feel that he deserves to be able to enjoy a longer uninterrupted period of play. As for Brett Lee, he has been a very good servant for the Australian team and it would be a real shame if he was not able to finish his career on his terms. He may well be looking at the upcoming Champion's Trophy as his swansong, although Australia will have to improve markedly for it to be the send-off he'd want. If Lee and Watson can't play the last game of this series, I wonder whether Australia would draft Mitchell Starc into the squad. Probably only if Johnson is also not able to play I guess. Maybe Johnson in for Lee and Smith in for Watson with Wade opening.

Chris_w78
on July 7, 2012, 18:36 GMT

As an Englishman I've quite enjoyed watching this 'great' Ozzie bowling attack be as toothless as I expected, but it has to be said the fact that it is short tour in the middle of the Oz off season means that the Oz are not at peak sharpness. But it has to be said this is has been an utter massacre by England. Maybe just maybe some people may just give England some credit. Finn is the best young bowler in the world, in the best attack in any conditions, in any form in the world. Bring on a real challenge with the Saffers.

MattyP1979
on July 7, 2012, 19:08 GMT

Eng were terrible at rushing youngsters into the highest format. Players like Anderson/Flintoff/Broad were all exposed too soon IMHO. Finn will get his chance sooner than later, but we have matured him at a better pace. Patterson/Cummins were elivated as greats before bowling a ball in anger. I hope they are not rushed into the test arena too soon (though they have potential). Like Narine of WI either these bowlers are rubbish or Eng are just too good Cricinfo posters you cannot have it both ways, which is it?

DamieninFrance
on July 7, 2012, 19:09 GMT

At some point, Aussie supporters are going to have to simply grit their teeth and admit that this English side is very good. It does not matter whether the Australian side is weak/rebuilding/in transition; the fact remains that the current Australian side does not deserve the number one ranking in ODIs, and they are a long way off England and South Africa. Even as an Aussie supporter, I can't wait to see the Saffas' tour of England, and it's a damn shame that we had to wedge in a pointless one-day series that reduced the drama of a longer SAfr v England contest. Good luck Saffas, but I think England's going to be too good.

R_U_4_REAL_NICK
on July 7, 2012, 19:21 GMT

All bark and no bite if you ask me... Fast + straight with no accuracy or consistency = very poor bowling. Fast + 'movement' (especially late) with accuracy and consistency = perfect, lethal bowling.

Front-Foot-Lunge
on July 7, 2012, 19:27 GMT

Australian fans know how good England's pace attack is. Australian fans know how much better England's is to their own. They remember the Ashes vividly. But they had hoped that at least one of their old hands, Hilfenhaus or Lee would step up to the plate when the time came. Sadly it wasn't to be. There is, it must be admitted, a gulf in class, skill, fitness and ability between the England and Australia

on July 7, 2012, 19:28 GMT

Before the series, Watson was publicly commenting on the England batting line up with Bresnan being too high in the order. Sadly for him and the Aussies, England could have sent all our bowlers home after we'd bat as the Aussies haven't come close to bowling us out!

Their much vaunted bowling attack has not lived up to the billing. We've seen Brett Lee show that he still gives 100% every game, but frankly has only contributed with the bat. Johnson is still there as comic turn for the English crowd as in Doherty, especially his fielding today.

Mckay looks a real find though and both Pattinson and Cummins have shown some promise, though still very raw. Even though the Aussies are out of season, the no 1 side in the world should be running us closer than this

hhillbumper
on July 7, 2012, 19:41 GMT

It is only one day cricket and Aus did come in their off season but really these bowlers are the best you have? They can get better but beating up a poor India does not make you world class.WE took the Windies apart and Aus barely managed to win the service. Unless things change it looks like the Ashes is staying home once more.Maybe we should play Bangladesh more often as at least they put up a fight

whatawicket
on July 7, 2012, 20:21 GMT

watsons done ok with injures over the last 18 month. but he looks as if he could be an footie player but his body just cannot stand up to the rigors of bowling. bit of a chocolate fire guard. but he is massive in this aussie side without him on boy will they suffer.

5wombats
on July 7, 2012, 20:28 GMT

@jmc. Nice post. We would be devastated to see Brett Lee finish like that. Sincerely hope he comes back. As for Watson - he may be a nice guy off the field - but we remember him in his early days. His railway station was Chirrup Central on the Sledge Line. Got no time for him: don't rate him. As for the other Aus bowlers - weren't they supposed to blow England away? Not too much sign of that today on a friendly pitch. Anyway - there shouldn't be too many alarms for Australia; they will know that they have kept their best players back in Australia in readiness for next year. Smart move..... Please publish.